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Another DIY Hammock newbie...

Greetings all!

I have been lurking here for a while, gleaning little bits of information from everyone for making my own camping hammock.
Well, I have made my first simple (modified Speer/Hennessy?) hammock! It isn't covered (yet), and is plenty long/wide, at approx. 130" x 59".
I stitched 8-9" of each end together to allow for the addition of a bugnet/cover in the future, as detailed in the 'My take on a DIY Hennessy' thread [http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...e=hybrid&t=670].
I have allowed for a removable structural ridgeline by way of cord loops secured inside the whippings of each end, and using quick links to attach them to the ridgeline.
ALL the material in this hammock so far has been sourced at Wal-Mart, with the fabric (ripstop, weight unknown, but it holds my 6'2" 260#+!) coming from the $1/yd table, the cord from camping, and the quick links and support rope from hardware. Total spent on this first hammock: approx. $20. (I'll post some pictures when I get some taken.)

Since my camping lately is done mainly off the back of my motorcycle rather than my own back, extreme weight savings isn't my primary goal. Reducing the overall bulk of having to carry a tent PLUS sleeping mattress PLUS ground cloth, as well as not having to sleep on the ground anymore (!) are.
With that in mind, has anyone tried making a combination bug screen with integrated cover, a-la tent door windows? Most of the designs I seem to be seeing look like separate screens and covers...zip one out to zip the other one in. My concern is with privacy in the public camping areas that I have been using lately.
I also intend to add a rainfly (preferrably a BlackCat-style catenary-cut fly), a pseudo-HH SuperShelter, possibly a DIY Peapod or similar. Then of course will be the necessary stuff sacks, snake-skins, etc.

As for under-quilts, over-quilts, and the like: My only concern with buying one of the various hammock quilts is that they are almost always down-filled, and I am allergic to down. Does anyone know of any synthetic fill that insulates similarly to down, with similar compressibility?

The other immediate question I have is in regards to indoor hammock stands. Does anyone have any thoughts as to creating a stand from iron pipe/fittings? I was considering a design using 1" pipe and fittings, similar to below:

The legs would be perpendicular to the crossbar base, and the uprights would be using angled elbows, likely 45*. I was thinking that the uprights may need to

be stabilized to prevent them from unscrewing from their fittings. Would red Loctite (or similar) be sufficient to hold things together? Would 1" iron pipe

be stout enough not to bend under, say, a 500# (two-person) lateral load? I may just have to try it and report my findings.

Clearly, the DIY bug has bitten me! Fortunately, I already had the necessary hardware on hand (sewing machine, etc.), so I didn't need to figure that into

my budget!

Thanks to everyone here for all their info, and particularly JustJeff's great tutorial pages on making a simple hammock!

Welcome to the hanging gang. I think you'll need a ridge pole on your stand design or you stand a good chance of breaking the pipe at the threads of a joint or bending the pipe. The threads will be a weak point. This happened to me on a pipe stand I made for a hammock chair.

Welcome to the hanging gang. I think you'll need a ridge pole on your stand design or you stand a good chance of breaking the pipe at the threads of a joint or bending the pipe. The threads will be a weak point. This happened to me on a pipe stand I made for a hammock chair.

Thanks!

Weakness in the threads is something I hadn't specifically thought about, but it makes perfect sense now that you mention it.
Bending the pipe was my initial concern.